Work emails aren't private

Even if there's no policy, employer can read them

8:26 PM,
Sep. 27, 2013

Written by

Jack Greiner

Do you have one of those songs that you like, even if it sort of embarrasses you to admit it? "Somebody's Watching Me" is mine. Can't even tell you why. But I heard that song in my head when I read this case.

A former employee got sued by his former employer for allegedly stealing trade secrets. The employer obtained the evidence from an external hard drive on the employee's work computer. One slightly technical issue in the case was whether the employer violated the federal Stored Communications Act when it accessed the emails stored on the hard drive.